Chinese takeout food delivers more than just containers filled with piping hot wonton soup, savory fried rice and egg foo young smothered in gravy.
For many, it’s comforting, convenient — and a popular culinary choice during the holiday season.
That’s why we asked you, our readers, to tell us your favorite go-to spots for the last installment in this year’s Best of South Florida Dining series.
After a two-week nomination round, with the opportunity to rave about your must-order dishes and appetizers, we now have the top five finalists. They are, in alphabetical order:
What the readers say
In her nomination form for Bamboo Wok, diner Annette Bartol said she orders a house specialty for either lunch or dinner at the Boca Raton location. “Happy Family, very flavorful and full of different meats and shrimp,” the Boca Raton resident wrote.
Fran Schwartz, of Lauderhill, heads to Hong Kong City BBQ for two dishes: crispy boneless duck and Cantonese shrimp and wonton soup. She lauded the soup’s “rich broth and fresh bok choy.”
“I pick up the bowl to drain every last drop,” she wrote. “It’s enough for four servings.”
For the duck dish, she substitutes snow peas for broccoli and dips it into sweet-and-sour or hoisin sauce.
“I could also go on about HKCBBQ’s Peking duck, because it’s scrumptious!” she added in her form.
At Lotus Chinese Kitchen, Pompano Beach resident Charlie Siegel said he must have the barbecue spare ribs because they’re “the best in town.”
“They are meaty, moist and flavorful but not fatty or greasy,” he wrote. He also likes their moo shu chicken and fried rice for dinner.
Meanwhile, for Oakland Park resident Angel Bailey, the mandatory dish at SunRice Chinese Restaurant is the “delicious” beef chow mein.
“Full of beef and veggies cooked just right in their brown sauce with generous serving of pork fried rice,” Bailey said.
In her nomination form for Wan’s, Fort Lauderdale resident Suzan Pollack wrote that she loves the shrimp with lobster sauce: “The sauce is perfectly seasoned and served with plenty of jumbo shrimp, also perfectly cooked.”
She also orders the “light and fluffy” steamed dumplings,” wonton soup and fried rice.
Let the voting begin
So, which restaurant on the list do you think deserves to be named the best? It’s up to you to decide!
Voting is open through Tuesday, Dec. 23, by using the form below. (If you can’t see it, click here.)
Thank you for participating! And don’t miss previous votes: